What Are Two Ways to Describe A Cross-Functional Agile Team?

One of the key values of Agile is focusing on individuals and interactions over processes and tools. Having a cross-functional team helps in achieving this; where individuals with diverse skills collaborate and communicate to break silos and work as a unified team. This approach helps in reducing dependencies and eliminating any bottlenecks.
The cross-functional team is involved in each stage of development right from inception to delivery. Hence, they are aware of the challenges faced during the process and can come up with innovative solutions through their expertise. As they take complete ownership and collectively work over the product, the cross-functional team is capable of making improved decisions that enhance the overall delivery of the product.

In this article, we will understand more about a cross-functional agile team. We will also deep dive into the two key perspectives of cross-functional teams in terms of skill diversity and end-to-end responsibility.

What Defines a Cross-Functional Agile Team?

Agile teams must collaborate towards a shared goal to succeed in delivering small functional parts on time. This requires individuals with different skill sets who work together efficiently. A cross-functional team comprises people with diverse skills who manage themselves to complete assigned tasks for the product. It doesn’t mean everyone must know all skills, but each team member should be able to handle different tasks when necessary.

The focus is on being multi-skilled within the team to adapt to various needs. For example, a cross-functional Agile team working on software development might include software developers, testers, designers, and even customer support representatives.
Rather than working in silos, cross-functional teams collaborate to ensure that the assigned work is completed in sprints. They take collective ownership of work as the entire team is responsible for the success. This means that individuals are not confined to their specific roles; instead, they collaborate across disciplines to meet goals. So a developer might help with testing, and a tester might provide insights during the design phase.

Continuous communication and feedback are integral to cross-functional Agile teams. This collaborative approach enhances efficiency and responsiveness, making cross-functional Agile teams well-suited for the iterative and dynamic nature of Agile methodologies.

2 Ways to Describe A Cross-Functional Agile Team

A cross-functional Agile team is characterized by skill diversity, bringing together members with different expertise to cover various aspects of a project. Additionally, it holds end-to-end responsibility, meaning the team collectively owns and manages all aspects of delivering a product or project from start to finish. Let’s understand more about these two perspectives in detail:

I. First Perspective: Diverse Skills and Team Collaboration

⇒ Skill Diversity

Agile teams are keen on onboarding individuals with multiple skills and varied levels of expertise. Each team member contributes unique skills that collectively cover different aspects of the project.

For example, to create a software solution for financial instruction, the agile team would include team members with some level of understanding and knowledge about the domain. The team is then equipped to handle any challenges they might encounter in building the solutions due to their experience and expertise. Team members with diverse skills enhance problem-solving capabilities. Team members can help build innovative solutions with their unique perspectives.

For instance, a software development team member skilled in coding, another in user experience design, and another in quality assurance collectively contribute their unique expertise. This diverse pool of knowledge ensures a holistic understanding of the product, enabling the team to make informed decisions at every stage of development, resulting in high-quality and well-rounded deliverables.

⇒ Collaboration

To function effectively, cross-functional teams rely on efficient collaboration to achieve the project goals. This promotes a dynamic and cooperative environment where individuals use their expertise for different aspects of projects.

For example, a software developer might collaborate with a UX designer to ensure the user interface meets the coding requirements. Team members must regularly communicate to ensure they are on the same page regarding project progress and goals. Daily stand-up meetings using applications such as Standuply, Microsoft Teams, and Webex provide a platform for team members to share updates, discuss challenges, and align their efforts.

Cross-functional teams can use open communication that goes beyond formal settings and involves informal interactions for collaboration. Collaboration between the team members helps to break down silos and ensure that the team is working together instead of in isolated departments.

II. Second Perspective: End-to-End Responsibility

⇒ Ownership of the Entire Process

From the perspective of taking end-to-end responsibility, cross-functional teams take responsibility for the entire development process. In the traditional development process, the responsibilities are divided amongst various departments. Whereas in the Agile development method, all the team members are collectively responsible for the stages of the project and together take ownership of the development process. This approach also ensures that no single team member is accountable for any specific phase of the project.

The entire team owns the various stages of development, such as planning, design, development, testing, and deployment. The team has a sense of shared responsibility and actively collaborates to ensure smooth development. For example, during the testing phase, the tester identifies any issue, and the developers work with the testers to fix the issue. This collaborative ownership enhances communication and problem-solving efficiency.

⇒ Reducing Dependencies

Cross-functional Agile teams excel in reducing dependencies on external groups, enhancing efficiency in several ways. By having diverse skills within the team, they can independently handle various aspects of a project, eliminating the need to rely on external departments. This autonomy ensures smoother and faster decision-making, as the team can promptly address issues without waiting for external approvals or input.

Continuous interaction within the team provides a shared understanding of goals and tasks, reducing the necessity for external communication and minimizing the chances of misunderstandings or delays. Moreover, with end-to-end responsibility, these teams take charge of the entire project lifecycle. This means they are not reliant on external teams for different phases, preventing bottlenecks and streamlining the workflow.

Additionally, by promoting a culture of self-management, these teams can quickly adapt to changes and address challenges without external dependencies. This agility is crucial in dynamic environments where rapid adjustments are needed.

Real-World Example

Mindbowser utilized a cross-functional Agile team to successfully build a Data-Driven Solution to Measure Clinical Outcomes for a healthcare organization. Using the two unique perspectives of cross-functional teams, we used existing technologies to build an innovative solution that provided meaningful metrics and real-time assessment of post-operative progress.

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